KR101228697B1 - Integrated Radar Apparatus for Vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated radar device for a vehicle.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle integrated radar apparatus comprising: a mode input unit configured to receive one of a plurality of modes through a mode switch; A radar signal adjusting unit controlling a radar signal based on a requirement for the input mode among preset requirements for each mode; It provides a vehicle integrated radar device comprising a radar transceiver for transmitting the adjusted radar signal through the antenna.

According to the present invention, there is an effect of providing an integrated radar device as an integrated sensor that can satisfy all the different specifications required by the various intelligence-related technologies supported by the vehicle.

Integrated, radar, sensor

Description

Integrated Radar Apparatus for Vehicles

The present invention relates to an integrated radar device for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to an integrated radar device for a vehicle as an integrated sensor capable of satisfying all differently required specifications of various intelligence-related technologies supported by a vehicle.

These days, vehicles are highly intelligent to provide greater stability and convenience, and with regard to the intelligence of these vehicles, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Stop & Go for following vehicles ahead. ), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) to detect blind spots in vehicles, Lane Change Assist (LCA) for safe lane changes, and Collision Avoidance to prevent collisions in front of vehicles. Many technologies such as Pre-Crash Safety (CAS), Collision Avoidance System (CAS), and Parking Assist (PA) are being developed and applied to vehicles.

Many technologies related to the intelligence of such vehicles rely heavily on the accuracy of sensors using ultrasonic waves and radar to detect objects such as vehicles. If a particular vehicle supports various intelligence-related technologies, a specific vehicle needs sensors using ultrasonic waves, radar, etc., in addition to the devices or systems for the various intelligence-related technologies. It is difficult to change the structure or method of the sensor for each device or system for various intelligence-related technologies, and the sensor is mounted in proportion to the number of devices or systems for the intelligence-related technology. There is also a problem that can be increased.

Therefore, if the various sensors for the various intelligence-related technologies supported by the vehicle can be integrated, the above-mentioned difficulties or problems can be solved. However, there is a problem that sensor integration is not easy because the specifications related to the sensors may be different for each technology related to intelligence.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a main object to provide an integrated radar device as an integrated sensor that can satisfy all the specifications required by the various intelligence-related technologies supported by the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle integrated radar device comprising: a mode input unit for receiving one of a plurality of modes through a mode switch; A radar signal adjusting unit controlling a radar signal based on a requirement for the input mode among preset requirements for each mode; It provides a vehicle integrated radar device comprising a radar transceiver for transmitting the adjusted radar signal through an antenna.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect of providing an integrated radar device as an integrated sensor capable of satisfying all the different specifications required by the various intelligence-related technologies supported by the vehicle.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

In addition, in describing the component of this invention, terms, such as 1st, 2nd, A, B, (a), (b), can be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, It should be understood that an element may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected."

1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle integrated radar device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an integrated radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment may include: a mode input unit 120 that receives one of a plurality of modes by a driver through a mode switch 110; A radar signal adjusting unit 130 for adjusting a radar signal based on a requirement for an input mode among preset requirements for each mode; And a radar transceiver 140 for transmitting the adjusted radar signal through the antenna 150.

The multiple modes mentioned above include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) mode, Stop & Go mode, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) mode, and Lane Change support (LCA). Assist mode, Lane Keeping Support (LKS) mode, Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) mode, Collision Avoidance System (CAS) mode, and Parking Assist (PA) mode At least two and the like. Here, the mode is also referred to as 'application' or 'technology related to vehicle intelligence'.

The above-mentioned requirements for each preset mode may include information on one or more of distance resolution, maximum speed range, speed resolution, horizontal beam width, and maximum transmission range for each of a plurality of modes. Table 1 below illustrates the four modes.

Item Stop & go BSD LCA PA Center frequency 24 GHz or 77 GHz 24 GHz or 77 GHz 24 GHz or 77 GHz 24 GHz or 77 GHz Distance resolution 1m or less 0.5m or less 1m or less 10cm or less Horizontal beam width 20 degrees or more 45 degrees or more 25 degrees or higher About 10 degrees Speed resolution 5Kph irrelevant 5 kph irrelevant Maximum sending range 1 ~ 60m 1 ~ 10m 1 ~ 60m 1 ~ 10m Speed range 250Kph or less irrelevant 250Kph or less irrelevant

The integrated radar device 100 for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 is a “sensor using a radar” required when performing a function related to the plurality of modes described above.

The radar signal adjusting unit 130, according to the information included in the requirements for the mode received through the mode switch 110, the frequency sweep width, period, sampling frequency, number of fast Fourier transform data of the radar signal to be transmitted In this case, one or more of the horizontal beam width and the maximum transmission range can be adjusted. In the following, a method of adjusting the radar signal according to the predetermined requirement for the input mode will be described as an example.

If the requirement for the mode input through the mode switch 110 is "distance resolution", the radar signal adjusting unit 130 adjusts the voltage output from the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), thereby controlling the radar. The frequency sweep width of the signal can be adjusted to the frequency sweep width corresponding to the distance resolution as a requirement.

In addition, when the requirement for the mode input through the mode switch 110 is the "maximum speed range", the radar signal adjusting unit 130 adjusts the period of the radar signal to a period corresponding to the maximum speed range as a requirement Can be.

In addition, when the requirement for the mode input through the mode switch 110 is "velocity resolution", the radar signal adjusting unit 130 changes the sampling frequency of the radar signal to the velocity resolution as a requirement. By adjusting to a corresponding sampling frequency or by changing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) variable, the number of fast Fourier transform data of the radar signal can be adjusted to the number of Fast Fourier transform data corresponding to the speed resolution as a requirement. .

In addition, when the requirement for the mode input through the mode switch 110 is "horizontal beam width", the radar signal adjusting unit 130 may adjust the horizontal beam width of the radar signal using a beamforming algorithm.

In addition, when the requirement for the mode input through the mode switch 110 is the "maximum transmission range", the radar signal adjusting unit 130 adjusts the intensity of the radar signal, etc. to satisfy the maximum transmission range as a requirement I can regulate it.

In order to satisfy the maximum transmission range as a requirement for all modes, the antenna 150 also satisfies all the maximum transmission ranges as a requirement for each mode, as well as the adjustment of the radar signal strength and the like in the radar signal adjusting unit 130. It must be designed to That is, the antenna 150 includes a transmission antenna 151 for transmitting a radar signal that satisfies the maximum transmission range as a predetermined requirement for each mode.

In addition, the antenna 150 may also include a receiving antenna 152 for receiving a plurality of receiving channels, in this case, the above-described radar signal adjusting unit 130 is a radar signal received through the receiving antenna 152 Can adjust the beam width.

Components such as the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, the radar transceiver 140, and the antenna 150 may be all included inside the vehicle integrated radar device 100, or may be partially (eg, an antenna). Only components excluding 150) may be included in the vehicle integrated radar apparatus 100. That is, components may be physically packaged or distributed at various locations in the vehicle.

Depending on whether the components of the vehicular integrated radar device 100 are physically packaged together in the vehicle or if each component is distributed, the manner or installation in which the vehicular integrated radar device 100 or the components included therein are installed in the vehicle. There may be a difference in the number.

This can be confirmed through FIG. 2, which exemplarily illustrates a method of applying the integrated radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle to a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. However, in FIG. 2, the rectangular boxes A, B, C, D, and E represent the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, and the radar transmitting and receiving unit 140 together, and are indicated by circles (Ant). Indicates an antenna 150 and a check box indicates a mode switch 110.

First, when all components such as the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, the radar transceiver 140, and the antenna 150 are all included in the vehicle integrated radar device 100, the vehicle integrated The radar device 100 should be installed for each vehicle position corresponding to a plurality of modes supported by the vehicle.

For example, suppose that a particular vehicle supports Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) mode for following a vehicle ahead and blind spot detection (BSD) mode for detecting side blind spots of a vehicle. Such a mode may be selectively input by the driver through the mode switch 110.

Referring to FIG. 2A, in order to support one of an adaptive cruise control mode and a blind spot detection mode according to a mode input through the mode switch 110, the mode input unit 120 and the radar signal adjusting unit 130 are provided. ), The integrated radar device 100 for vehicles including all the components such as the radar transceiver 140 and the antenna 150 should be installed near the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle for the adaptive cruise control mode. ), The integrated radar device 100 for vehicles including all the components such as the radar signal controller 130, the radar transceiver 140, and the antenna 150 should be installed on both sides of the vehicle for the blind spot detection mode. do. That is, the vehicle integrated radar apparatus 100 including all the components is required in proportion to the number of modes supported by the vehicle and should be installed in each mode.

Next, when all of the components, such as the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, the radar transceiver 140 and the antenna 150 are included in the vehicle integrated radar device 100 only In addition, the components included in the interior of the integrated radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle and the components included in the outside may be distributed and installed in necessary positions of the vehicle, respectively.

For example, referring to FIG. 2B, only the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, and the radar transmitting and receiving unit 140 are included in the vehicle integrated radar apparatus 100 among all the components. In addition, the antenna 150 may implement the vehicle integrated radar device 100 to be included outside. In this case, the antenna 150 is installed for each vehicle position corresponding to a plurality of modes supported by the vehicle, and components such as the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, and the radar transmitting and receiving unit 140 are applicable. Installed in the center of the vehicle and connected to the antenna 150 installed in each vehicle location can perform a function according to the mode.

For example, referring to FIG. 2B, a blind spot detection (BSD: Blind) in which a specific vehicle detects an adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode for following a front vehicle and a side blind spot of the vehicle Assuming that the mode is supported, the mode input unit 120, the radar signal controller 130, and the radar transceiver 140 are installed at a specific position of the vehicle, and the antenna 150 is adaptive cruise control (ACC). It can be installed near the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle for Adaptive Cruise Control mode and on both sides of the vehicle for blind spot detection mode. That is, although the antenna 150 of the integrated vehicle radar device 100 is required in proportion to the number of modes supported by the vehicle, the mode input unit 120, the radar signal adjusting unit 130, and the radar transmitting and receiving unit 140 are provided. Only one component is required.

Using the aforementioned integrated radar device 100 for a vehicle, it is possible to integrate and support various modes supported by a vehicle, and to adjust the radar signal to satisfy a high distance resolution, thereby identifying performance between adjacent vehicles in a low-speed urban section. This improved effect can be obtained, and the radar signal can be adjusted to satisfy the high speed resolution, thereby improving the speed recognition capability of the vehicle ahead in the high speed section.

3 (A), it can be confirmed that the identification performance of the adjacent vehicle is improved in the low-speed urban section by adjusting the radar signal to satisfy the high distance resolution. In FIG. 3A, a white box indicates a vehicle identified in a low-speed urban section.

In addition, through (B) of Figure 3, by adjusting the radar signal to satisfy the high speed resolution it can be seen that the effect of the vehicle can easily recognize the speed recognition ability of the front vehicle even in the high-speed driving section have. In FIG. 3B, a white box indicates a vehicle recognized in a high speed driving section.

4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware structure of the integrated radar device 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The integrated radar device 100 for a vehicle including the mode input unit 120, the radar signal controller 130, the radar transceiver 140, the antenna 150, and the like illustrated in FIG. 1 may include the hardware module illustrated in FIG. 4. It can be implemented as.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mode input unit 120 and the radar signal controller 130 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be implemented by a digital signal processor (DSP) 500 illustrated in FIG. 4.

The digital signal processor 400 receives a mode input through the mode switch 110 to support an application corresponding thereto, and a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) through a D / A converter 410. By controlling the voltage controlled oscillator (420), a modulation waveform suitable for the requirements of the input mode is generated, and the radar signal generated by adjusting the modulation waveform is a transmit antenna (Tx Ant.) 430. Is sent via. In addition, receive antenna (Rx Ant.) 440 accommodates more than four channels and allows for changing the receive beamwidth.

The waveform of the radar signal generated and output from the voltage controlled oscillator 420 through the control of the D / A converter 410 in the digital signal processor 400 of FIG. 4 is illustrated in FIG. 5.

The digital signal processor 400 serving as the radar signal adjusting unit 130 in FIG. 1 changes the distance resolution ΔR by adjusting the frequency sweep width BW of the modulation waveform as shown in Equation 1 below. Can meet the requirements of the specified mode (distance resolution). In Equation 1 below, c represents the luminous flux (3 × 10 ⁸ m / s).

In addition, the digital signal processor 400 serving as the radar signal adjusting unit 130 of FIG. 1 may have the sampling frequency f _s or the number of fast Fourier transform (FFT) data (N) of the modulated waveform as shown in Equation 1 below. By changing), the speed resolution ΔV _r can be adjusted to satisfy the requirements of the input mode (speed resolution).

In Equations 1 and 2, c denotes a luminous flux (3 × 10 ⁸ m / s), and T denotes a period.

Referring to Equation 1, if the requirement for the input mode is the maximum speed range, the digital signal processor 400 as the radar signal adjusting unit 130, the period (T) of the radar signal to the maximum speed range You can adjust it at the corresponding interval. Here, the period is inversely proportional to the maximum speed range.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect of providing the integrated radar device 100 as an integrated sensor that can satisfy all the specifications required by the various intelligence-related technologies supported by the vehicle with only a software change. have.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In other words, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively operated in combination with one or more. In addition, although all of the components may be implemented in one independent hardware, a program in which some or all of each component is selectively combined to perform some or all functions combined in one or a plurality of hardware. It may be implemented as a computer program having a module. Codes and code segments constituting the computer program may be easily inferred by those skilled in the art. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium and read and executed by a computer, thereby implementing embodiments of the present invention. As the storage medium of the computer program, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a carrier wave medium, or the like may be included.

It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprises, "" comprising," or "having ", as used herein, mean that a component can be implanted unless specifically stated to the contrary. But should be construed as including other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as predefined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meanings of the related art, and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal, unless expressly defined to the contrary.

The description above is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic block diagram of an integrated radar device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an exemplary diagram of a method of applying an integrated radar device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention to a vehicle;

FIG. 3 shows the effect of improved identification performance between adjacent vehicles in a low speed urban section by adjusting the radar signal to satisfy the high distance resolution, and the speed of the vehicle ahead in the high speed section by adjusting the radar signal to satisfy the high speed resolution. Drawing that shows the effect of improved recognition ability,

4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware structure for an integrated radar device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a graph showing the waveform of the transmitted lady signal.

Description of the Related Art

100: vehicle integrated radar device

110: mode switch

120: mode input unit

130: radar signal controller

140: radar transceiver

151: transmit antenna

152: receiving antenna

Claims (9)

In an integrated radar device for a vehicle, A mode input unit which receives one of a plurality of modes through a mode switch; A radar signal adjusting unit controlling a radar signal based on a requirement for the input mode among preset requirements for each mode; Including a radar transceiver for transmitting the adjusted radar signal through an antenna, The requirement for the received mode includes information on one or more of distance resolution and speed resolution, The radar signal adjusting unit, When the requirement for the input mode includes the information on the distance resolution, the radar signal is adjusted by adjusting the frequency sweep width of the radar signal to be the distance resolution, When the requirement for the input mode includes the information on the speed resolution, the vehicle integrated radar, characterized in that for adjusting the radar signal by changing the sampling frequency or the number of fast Fourier transform data to the speed resolution Device. The method of claim 1, The plurality of modes, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) mode, Stop & Go mode, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) mode, Lane Change Assist (LCA) mode, Lane maintenance support ( Features include at least two of Lane Keeping Support (LCS) mode, Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) mode, Collision Avoidance System (CAS) mode, and Parking Assist (PA) mode. Integrated radar device for vehicles. The method of claim 1, The preset requirements for each mode, For each of the plurality of modes, including the information on at least one of the distance resolution and the speed resolution, the integrated radar device for a vehicle further comprising information on one or more of the maximum speed range, horizontal beam width and maximum transmission range. The method of claim 3, The radar signal adjusting unit, If the requirement for the input mode is the distance resolution, And controlling a frequency sweep width of the radar signal to a frequency sweep width corresponding to the distance resolution by adjusting a voltage output from a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The method of claim 3, The radar signal adjusting unit, If the requirement for the input mode is the maximum speed range, And the period of the radar signal is adjusted to a period corresponding to the maximum speed range. The method of claim 3, The radar signal adjusting unit, If the requirement for the received mode is the speed resolution, The sampling frequency of the radar signal is adjusted to a sampling frequency corresponding to the speed resolution by changing a sampling variable, or the number of fast Fourier transform data of the radar signal is changed by changing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) variable. And controlling the number of fast Fourier transformed data corresponding to the speed resolution. The method of claim 3, The radar signal adjusting unit, If the requirement for the received mode is the horizontal beam width, And a horizontal beam width of the radar signal is adjusted using a beamforming algorithm. The method of claim 3, The antenna includes: A transmission antenna for transmitting the radar signal that satisfies the maximum transmission range as the predetermined requirement for each mode; And a receiving antenna accommodating a plurality of receiving channels. 9. The method of claim 8, The radar signal adjusting unit, And a beam width of the radar signal received through the receiving antenna.

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